Trevor Noah Says It Was ‘Funny’ That Charlie Kirk Was Shot While Defending Gun Rights
Former Daily Show host Trevor Noah sparked backlash after mocking the fatal shooting of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a recent stand-up set, calling the conservative activist’s death “funny” due to its timing and context.
“The guy was shot while defending guns,” Noah told a live audience. “Do you understand how — I’m not even writing that as a joke — as a human, you have to admit that is an incongruous funny thing that happens. You’re onstage, like, ‘Let me tell you why people should have guns.’ Wa-pow!”
Noah’s comments came while discussing his experience performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia. He praised the Saudi government for progress on civil liberties and applauded the mixed-gender audience, claiming the environment was “freer than America” for comedians.
“Meanwhile, here, comedians are shitting themselves,” Noah said, mocking peers who warned him not to joke about Kirk. “‘Don’t say anything about Charlie Kirk.’ ‘I wasn’t going to say anything.’ ‘Yeah, but don’t say anything about Charlie.’ Oh, now you tested me.”
He said the idea that Kirk’s assassination was “off-limits” only motivated him more. “As a comedian, I can find something funny about it,” he insisted.
Though Noah clarified he didn’t wish death on Kirk, he argued jokes about tragedy are fair game. “It’s not great. I didn’t wish for it. But now you can’t terrorize your population if they dare to say something about the thing,” he said. “This is the same country where people make jokes about Abraham Lincoln being shot.”
He also said that censorship fears in the U.S. were greater than in Saudi Arabia. “Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m going to find out,” he joked. “It’s easier to talk here than it is in America.”
Noah then referenced fellow comedian Dave Chappelle, who also performed in Riyadh. According to the New York Times, Chappelle joked that if the U.S. ever pressured him, people would know he’d been compromised if he said: “I stand with Israel.”
Noah’s comments are the latest in a series of controversial takes by comedians referencing Kirk’s assassination, which occurred during a pro-Second Amendment speech at Utah Valley University last month. The suspected killer was a young male who authorities say became radicalized in online forums, though motivations remain under investigation.
The fallout has reignited debates about free speech, political violence, and the boundaries of comedy in modern America.